We never thought we'd report such breaking hat news, but it looks like we finally have an urgent update straight from Philip Treacy himself: The era of the fascinator is officially over.
“The fascinator is dead and I’m delighted,” the celebrity milliner proclaimed in The Sunday Times yesterday.
Treacy has become the hat maker of choice for everyone from Lady Gaga to Sarah Jessica Parker to Kate Middleton, designing more than a handful of headpieces for 2011's royal wedding (including Princess Beatrice's controversial topper). So why the change of heart?
“The word fascinator sounds like a dodgy sex toy and what’s so fascinating about a fascinator?" he said. “Mass production means that they became so cheap to produce that now they are no more than headbands with a feather stuck on with a glue gun. We’re seeing a return to proper hats.”
Perhaps the British designer's newfound aesthetic is an attempt to align himself with Queen Elizabeth II's tastes. Just last year, at the height of fascinator fandom, the ornate hats were banned from the Royal Enclosure at the Royal Ascot, meaning: If you want to sit with the queen, you better wear a "proper" hat.
Now that the head honcho of the headgear industry has officially deemed fascinators passé, we're going to have to say a formal goodbye to the eye-catching hats -- after all, if Philip's not making them, then surely our favorite notables won't be wearing them.
Check out some stars rocking the look below and tell us: Are you glad that the fascinator is "dead"?
RIP, old friend...
